BOSTON, Mass. - The Curry College men's ice hockey team opened the 2022-23 season with a convincing 5-1 victory over UMass Boston Saturday afternoon in non-conference at the Edward T. Barry Ice Rink.

With the victory, Curry opens its season with a record of 1-0-0.

The Colonels opened the scoring just 6:01 into the contest on a strike from Kevin Pitts (Pointe-Claire, Quebec). Pitts received a pass from behind the net from senior Nick Favaro (Vaughan, Ontario) before one-timing a shot past the Beacon netminder for Curry's first goal of the season. Freshman Matt Connor (Nottingham, N.H.) earned a secondary assist on the goal.

The Commonwealth Coast Conference's leading goal scorer a season ago, senior Timmy Kent (Parkland, Fla.) began his title defense with his first of the year at the 11:15 mark of the first, putting a back foot snap shot past UMass Boston's Sam Best on a two-on-two rush for a two-gaol advantage. Tao Ishizuka (Providence, R.I.) and Tyler Drummond (Baldwin, N.Y.) notched helpers on Kent's tally.

Just 15 seconds later, Curry stretched the advantage to three on the first collegiate goal from Gage Dill (Estero, Fla.), with assists credited to Kent and Drummond. 

UMass Boston scored late in the period to send the teams to the locker room with a score of 3-1.

With just under five minutes to play in the second, sophomore Eelis Laaksonen (Espoo, Finland) put Curry back ahead by three with his first goal of the season. Connor found Laaksonen with a lengthy sneak-away pass, and Laaksonen made no mistake on the breakaway chance to put Curry up 4-1. Favaro picked up a secondary assist on the play.

Curry sealed the deal late in the third when graduate student Tarek Paranica (Grand Forks, N.D.) buried a shorthanded empty-netter from nearly the entire length of the ice. Drummond collected his third assist of the night on the empty-netter to finish his first collegiate game with three points.

Graduate student Reid Cooper (Corman Park, Saskatchewan) turned aside 22 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his first victory of the season between the pipes.

Next up for the Colonels, they will open CCC action on Friday night with a trip to Wentworth. Puck drop from Everett is slated for 7 p.m.

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